ARS | Publication request: Patterns of Freezing in Plants: The Influence of Species, Environment and Experimental Procedures

Submitted to: Plant Cold Hardiness: From the Laboratory to the Field
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: September 30, 2008
Publication Date: July 1, 2009
Citation: Gusta, L., Wisniewski, M.E., Trischuk, R. 2009. Patterns of Freezing in Plants: The Influence of Species, Environment and Experimental Procedures. pp214-225. Plant Cold Hardiness: From the Laboratory to the Field., eds. Gusta, L., Wisniewski, M., and Tanino, K. CABI, Oxfordshire, UK 317 pp.

Technical Abstract: New “omic” tools and technologies have revealed a high level of complexity in regards to the response of to study the response of plants to low temperatures. Care has to be taken, however, in how we approach the subject. As outlined, freezing injury manifests itself in several different ways and the strategies that have evolved in plants to survive low temperatures vary with the species as well as the location. This is clearly evident when one closely examines both cold acclimation and freezing injury in plants grown and/or tested in the field vs. environmental chambers. Results obtained from controlled environment studies should always be validated by field studies in order to develop approaches to improve cold hardiness.